Countertops have traditionally been made from a variety of materials including marble or other ornamental stone. While stone countertops provide aesthetically pleasing surfaces, they are difficult to ship to normal trucking transportation due to their weight and tendency to chip and crack if subjected to shock loading.
A variety of simulated ornamental stone countertops have been cast commercially. For example, a process for forming simulated marble material is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,773,886 wherein a polyester gel coat is applied to a mold surface followed by successively applying veining and spatter compositions, then filling the remainder of the mold with resin. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,664,954 discloses a process for forming simulated ornamental stone by mixing alumina trihydrate powder with polyester resin and catalyst to yield a translucent material which may be used as a depth simulating layer to cover a colored veining material.
While the simulated ornamental stone of the prior art is lighter in weight than the actual stone itself, these materials are still too heavy for a variety of applications. For example, on power boats and sail boats a lightweight counter is desirable. Furthermore, the prior art products are too fragile to allow for truck shipment to remote manufacturing sites.